Research

The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center unites more than 280 physicians and scientists from 56 departments and 9 schools who work together in translating discoveries from research laboratories into new treatments that benefit cancer patients. Our mission is primarily achieved through research programs that bring scientists together from many different disciplines.

The UW Carbone Cancer Center is committed to leading-edge research to provide better treatment and ultimately, cures for cancer. Mark Burkard, MD, PhD is one of the researchers currently investigating new therapies for the treatment of breast cancer.

In addition to his clinical practice treating patients with breast cancer, Dr. Burkard is one of the many researchers currently investigating novel therapies that might one day replace chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients.

Dr. Burkard's research seeks to find genes that can help cells divide and block those gene functions to help keep cancer cells from dividing.

According to Dr. Burkard, one of the main reasons he likes working in the field of breast cancer is the patients.

"It's a special group of patients," he said. "My patients give me drive to do better, to make treatments better, to make patient care better."

Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research

The Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) was designed to create an environment of scientific collaboration, one that brings together research and clinical scientists from throughout the campus to work across disciplines, making it possible for them to focus their combined talents on today's most perplexing medical problems.

One example of such collaboration is with Dr. Burkard's research.

According to Dr. Burkard, in the year that WIMR has been open, it has already had an appreciable effect.

"My colleague who is making microfluidic platforms was across campus a mile away in engineering, but is now here," explained Burkard. "We can bring blood samples from patients to try to use those microfluidic platforms with actual clinical samples to try and do research that was not feasible a year ago."

Cancer Research

Learn more about various research advancements at the UW Carbone Cancer Center from 2009: